Brand New Box of Matches is a Knoxville bluegrass-folk duo sharing their music from Chattanooga to Asheville and anywhere in-between. Elizabeth Sherman’s lovely vocals shine while Ryan Hardison’s catchy guitar playing will have your toes tapping and face grinning. Listen to this clip from Brand New Box of Matches Clip
Elizabeth and Ryan began playing music together in 2019. Ryan had played music for many years in multiple bands of varying genres of music. Over time, his passion for bluegrass music prevailed as a talented banjo and guitar player. When Ryan saw Elizabeth’s interest in playing the upright bass, he showed Elizabeth the basics of bluegrass bass, and they began attending community bluegrass jams.
By the end of 2019, Brand New Box of Matches was formed and the duo started booking shows, but in early 2020, the pandemic put a stop to live music, so they began learning new songs they could play together.
The pandemic free-time led to the thought, “Well, we should record some of these songs.” They started recording many of their favorite bluegrass and classic country songs, resulting in more than two dozen songs being recorded.
The pair chose their favorites songs and released them on their first album Strike One in March 2022. They began writing original songs in bluegrass/classic-country/folk style and incorporating them into their live shows. Twelve of these were featured on their second album, Flame and Water in 2023.
The duo has been performing all around East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. One of the things they love most about sharing their music is seeing audience members smile, having a good time and sometimes even dancing.
Ryan and Elizabeth have said, “When we see people enjoying our music, we know they are creating good memories. Fun memories about bluegrass and folk music to be passed on to their children and grandchildren.” Brand New Box of Matches
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